Media Contacts

New York, NY, September 5, 2017 — Today, Attorney General Sessions announced President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which created a fair, just, and necessary safeguard for hundreds of thousands of young people—commonly known as Dreamers—brought to the United States as children. Nearly 800,000 young people have qualified for the program and will be at risk of deportation from the only country they have ever known.

Said Hans van de Weerd, Vice President of United States Programs at the International Rescue Committee (IRC):

“The devastating decision to discontinue DACA—without the certainty of an alternative to replace it—threatens to uproot the lives of talented young people, putting them at risk of deportation from the only country they call home, and unnecessarily tears families apart. To take away the promised protection of DACA without an alternative, from those who courageously came out of the shadows to apply to the program, bolster our economy and enrich our communities, is simply inhumane.

“Our economy and our communities benefit from Dreamers, who are American in every way except for their immigration status because legislators have kicked the can down the road for years. We urge Congress to show leadership and courage in the next six months: acting where others have failed by urgently passing legislation that would build on a successful program to now provide permanent protection—and eventually a pathway to citizenship—for these deserving young people.”

The IRC has been engaged in outreach, support, and application services for immigrants eligible for DACA, providing direct immigration services for over a thousand Dreamers. The IRC today stands with Dreamers, including those DACA recipients currently working for The IRC.

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About the IRC

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 28 offices across the U.S. helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities. Learn more at www.rescue.org and follow the IRC on Twitter & Facebook.